Saving RCC, creating NTCC key legislative victories

Now that the 2011 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature has adjourned, the process of review, critique and criticize has begun, but in Washington Parish, the success of two bills far outweigh any failures.

Sen. Ben Nevers
(D, Bogalusa)

The passage of HB 1, the state’s appropriations bill, overrides everything else and while neither Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa) nor Rep. Harold Ritchie (D, Franklinton) were on the so-called front line in regards to committee structure, they were both in the trenches.

And as a result of the efforts of the local legislators and a Senate Finance Committee not afraid to look at funding options, which included moving money round, B. B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center — along with four others — remain open.

Rep. Harold Ritchie
(D, Franklinton)

Ritchie fought the fight in the House and Nevers work relentlessly for Rayburn — admitting he really wasn’t concerned about the other prisons, as they had people fighting for them.

As a result, some 300 jobs will remain in Washington Parish.

But close on the heels of HB1 in terms of significance for Washington Parish was Nevers’ SB69, which creates Northshore Technical Community College and brings degree granting, credit transferring ability to the campuses of what is currently known as Northshore Technical College.

“It is really exciting and really significant,” William Wainwright, regional director of the Northshore system, told wpnewsblog in a Friday interview.

“It will open doors,” he added, “in that it allows us to continue the technical education we’ve become so well known for, but it adds degree granting capability.”

Wainwright pointed out that while the Northshore has been served in that area in the past, it has been severely underserved.

“It will help us increase our educational attainment levels. Northshore Technical provided an excellent technical education, but a survey as recent as this spring showed the Northshore region was severely underserved and that there was greater need for advanced educational opportunities.”

Ritchie’s cornerstone legislation was HB63, which created a four-cents per pack tax on cigarettes. The bill passed, but was vetoed by Gov. Bobby Jindal who had said before the session that he would not approve any new taxes. While this tax had previously existed, but was expiring, proponents argued it was a renewal. However, a tax “renewal” is not recognized by the state constitution, statutes or house and senate rules. There are only tax increases and new taxes.

An effort to override the veto failed.

A recap of bills and resolutions put into the hopper by Nevers and Ritchie:

NEVERS

SB26 — (signed by the governor) Allows for an out-of-state physician to order certain diagnostic tests under certain circumstances.

SB28 — (sent to the governor) Extends employer's non-refundable apprenticeship tax credit against income tax and corporation franchise tax to taxable periods ending prior to January 1, 2015.

SB68 — (died in committee) Provides relative to the positions of fire chief and police chief in the city of Bogalusa. This legislation would have changed the two positions so as to allow the mayor to hire and fire.

SB69 — (sent to governor) Creates the Northshore Technical Community College.

SB80 — (sent to governor) Provides for the reorganization of the Department of Education.

SB94 — (died in committee) Provides a preference for materials produced, manufactured, or fabricated in Louisiana used in public works.

SB111— (House adopted) Provides relative to an annual report regarding the condition of public elementary and secondary education.

SCR3 — (Filed with secretary of state) Memorializes Congress to enact laws to establish, implement, and ensure that universal communication is at all times and at all places available to warn the American people of imminent and impending dangers.

SCR4 — (Signed by the Speaker) Requests BESE to establish uniform regulations regarding the purchase of used school buses for all school bus owners/operators

RITCHIE

HB38 — (Signed by the governor) Provides for an additional court cost in the City Court of Bogalusa. This measure allows the City Court of Bogalusa to assess a court cost not to exceed $25 for each defendant that has been convicted or has pled guilty to a traffic violation or misdemeanor. The sums will be remitted monthly by the clerk of court to the City Prosecutor to be used in defraying office expenses. It is projected to generate $160,000 in five years.

HB46 — (died in committee) Appropriates funds for payment of judgment against DOTD in the matter of "Eisha Briggs Lee, et al v. State of Louisiana, et al"

HB50 — (died in committee) Appropriates funds for payment of judgment in the matter of "Rhonda Walker, et al v. DOTD"

HB63 — (died in committee) Removes the sunset on a portion of the tax levied on cigarettes and increases the tax on cigars, cigarettes, smoking tobacco, and smokeless tobacco.

HB79 — (sent to governor) Changes the name of the High School Redesign Commission and provides for commission membership and vacancies.

HB185 — (died in committee) Provides for the transfer of certain property in Washington Parish. This would have transferred property from the LSU to DOTD. While the title mentioned Washington Parish, the majority of the legislation dealt with Greensburg.

HB256 — (sent to governor) Provides relative to the identification of human remains prior to cremation.

HB326 — (sent to governor) Repeals exemption for Washington Parish from the moratorium on additional nursing facilities or beds.

HB591 — (Governor vetoed, override failed) Removes the sunset on a portion of the tax levied on cigarettes and increases the tax on cigars, cigarettes, smoking tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. This would have added four cents per pack tax on cigarettes.

HB630 — (involuntarily deferred, died in committee) Provides for temporary reduction of certain tax exemptions, exclusions, and deductions for support of K-12 and higher education.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)

Rayburn funding stays in Senate version of HB1

Funding for Rayburn Correctional Center and four other state prisons remained in the final version of HB1, passed by the Louisiana Senate by a 36-2 vote at 8:27 p.m. Sunday night.

The bill now goes back to the House for another review and vote. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he will sign the bill if the House approves it.

The bill authorizes 13 administrative, 290 incarceration and three auxiliary positions for Rayburn for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The House had cut $27.5 million, roughly 5 percent of the total budget of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), earlier in the legislative session. Those proposed cuts prompted DOC Secretary James M. LeBlanc to send letters to the wardens of the five prisons, outlining the state's "layoff timetable" and setting July 17 as the employee termination date. The memo, which was published on wpnewsblog on Friday, June 3, caused widespread panic in Washington Parish.

This past Wednesday, Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa) and Sen. Jack Donahue (R, Covington) explained that money had been moved around. Donahue is a member of the finance committe, while Nevers was deeply involved in helping find funding to keep Rayburn open.

The committee’s members said they tried to maintain the spirit of the House’s version by matching one-time money to one-time expenses. The shuffling — including the use of $55 million in leftover hurricane recovery funds — resulted in a restoration of the $200 million in funding that the House cut.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)

Senate reconvenes at 2:30 Sunday, resumes work to keep prison funding secure for 2012

Time is running out on the 2011 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature and by this time next week, there will either be tears of joy or despair in Washington Parish, along with four other parishes in the state.

That’s because HB1, the state’s budget bill, will have been settled and five state prisons — including B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, will know the future of the facility and its employees.

The final push for funding begins when the Senate reconvenes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday to continue the review of the bill. After the Senate is finished, the bill will go back to the House for a final vote. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said that he will sign the bill if the House agrees with the Senate’s work.

The legislation has been much discussed since word first came out that $25 million in budget  cuts to the Louisiana Department  of Public Safety and Corrections budget would result in the closure of the prisons.

This past week, however, senators went over the bill with a fine-tooth comb — reversing some cuts made in the House and moving money around from department to department and agency to agency.

On Wednesday, members of Senate Finance Committee announced they had worked to the point that closure of the prisons could be avoided.

“I'm under the impression that the way that we handled it is going to not require any closure of any prisons," Sen. Jack Donahue (R-Covington).

“They shuffled some funding around, things the House didn’t consider,” Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa) said. “Money is back in the appropriations bill to fund keeping Rayburn open.”

The House had cut $27.5 million, roughly 5 percent of the total budget of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), earlier in the legislative session. Those proposed cuts prompted DOC Secretary James M. LeBlanc to send letters to the wardens of the five prisons, outlining the state's "layoff timetable" and setting July 17 as the employee termination date. The memo, which was published on wpnewsblog on Friday, June 3, caused widespread panic in Washington Parish.

"It would seem hard that with a 5 percent cut, it would trigger the closing of all these prisons," said Donahue, "but as they gave testimony, you could start to understand what some of the problems were. I believed them, so we did our best to try to restore those funds."

There are more than 300 employees at Rayburn — and the four other prisons have similar personnel counts. Rayburn must cut 46 positions before the start of fiscal year 2012 on July 1. Thus far, according prison officials, 31 slots have been eliminated through attrition

The Governor's Office said Wednesday they were working through the details of the Senate plan, but said they believe if the House approves it, the five prisons can be kept open.

The 2011 regular session of the Louisiana legislature ends Thursday, June 23.

Nevers' SB 26, allowing diagnostic orders from out-of-state physicians passes unanimously

An out-of-state physician with an established relationship with a Louisiana resident may soon be able to order diagnostic tests under certain conditions following the passage of SB 26, authored by Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa).

The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and has been signed by the senate president. It cleared the House without amendments and cleared the Senate by a 37-0 vote on Monday. It was signed by Senate President Joel Chaisson on Wednesday.

The legislation will allow the state Board of Medical Examiners to adopt rules to allow an out-of-state physician to order routine diagnostic testing for an established patient provided the physician-patient relationship was initiated through an in-person visit with the physician in another state. Under the legislation, a health care facility or provider that is presented with such an order may choose to not recognize it.

The bill designated an “out-of-state physician” as any physician who is duly licensed to practice medicine in any state or jurisdiction in the United States other than Louisiana.

The bill had widespread support, including the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)
(This is a reader news tip story)

Funding restored for Rayburn, four others as Senate Finance Committee moves funds

Sen. Ben Nevers

On Wednesday, the 15-member Senate Finance Committee took steps they think will keep five state prisons, including Angie's Rayburn Correctional Center, open.

"I'm under the impression that the way that we handled it is going to not require any closure of any prisons," Sen. Jack Donahue (R-Covington) said following the early morning meeting.


The news was first reported on WWL-TV and radio.

Sen. Jack Donahue

Members of the finance committee voted to move money around and restore cuts to the Louisiana Department of Corrections. The full Senate is expected to take up the re-worked budget Friday, and then it will go back to the House.


“They shuffled some funding around, things the House didn’t consider,” Sen. Ben Nevers (D, Bogalusa) said. “Money is back in the appropriations bill to fund keeping Rayburn open.”


The House had cut $27.5 million, roughly 5 percent of the total budget of the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC), earlier in the legislative session. Those proposed cuts prompted DOC Secretary James M. LeBlanc to send letters to the wardens of the five prisons, outlining the state's "layoff timetable" and setting July 17 as the employee termination date. The memo, which was published on wpnewsblog on Friday, June 3, caused widespread panic in Washington Parish.


"It would seem hard that with a 5 percent cut, it would trigger the closing of all these prisons," said Donahue, "but as they gave testimony, you could start to understand what some of the problems were. I believed them, so we did our best to try to restore those funds."


If Rayburn was closed, more than 300 Washington Parish jobs would be eliminated.


Nevers, who has been very involved in the budget negotiations, met with Rayburn employees last week.


"I told them, give us time to work through this situation and I asked them to have confidence in their legislators and let us do our job over here. And they have," Nevers said. "Certainly they call, they're very concerned, but I feel much better today."


There are more than 300 employees at Rayburn — and the four other prisons have similar personnel counts.


The Governor's Office said Wednesday they were working through the details of the Senate plan, but said they believe if the House approves it, the five prisons can be kept open.


"I made a comment to you before, they would close Rayburn over my dead body and I stand by that. I'm not planning on dying, I'm going to be around and I plan for Rayburn to still be open," Nevers said.


The 2011 regular session of the Louisiana legislature ends Thursday, June 23.

Pollsters call to check Ritchie's standing

Harold Ritchie
D-Franklinton

Telephone pollsters were busy calling households in Louisiana House District 75 Wednesday night, and by the wording of the questions, they were checking to see whether voters were happy or not with State Rep. Harold Ritchie (D-Franklinton). In addition, there were a couple of questions regarding State Sen. Ben Nevers (D-Bogalusa).


Pollsters identified themselves as calling with a political poll and asked permission to conduct the 15-question call.


Among the questions (not worded verbatim):
   • Do you plan to vote in the upcoming election?
   • Do you have a very favorable, favorable, unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Bobby Jindal, Harold Ritchie, Ben Nevers, Barack Obama.
   • There is a proposal to sell state prisons to private contractors. would you be in favor or not? This question also posed several scenarios, both positive and negative, regarding privatization of prisons before the response was solicited.
   • There is a proposal to sell the Office of State Benefits to a Wall Street firm. Are you in favor or not? In this instance, there were no positive scenarios presented, only the problems associated with Wall Street and its bail-out.
   • Harold Ritchie voted for a 70 cents per pack tax increase on cigarettes, would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?
   • Harold Ritchie worked to gain (number was given) millions in tax credits for Louisiana families. Would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?
  • If the election were held today, would you vote for Harold Ritchie or consider someone else? The options were very likely, somewhat likely or not likely.
  • If the election were held today, would you vote for Ben Nevers or consider someone else? The options were very likely, somewhat likely or not likely.


Respondents were also asked to identify themselves as Democrat, Republican or other.


While there is no election this year involving Ritchie, he has come under intense scrutiny for his vote on HB 1, which includes wording that would result in the closing of five state prisons, including Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie.


Ritchie said he did not know the bill might force Rayburn's closing and the elimination of 350 jobs.

(Published first at http://www.wpnewsblog.blogspot.com)

(This is a reader news tip story)